2 Kings 6:21 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, 'My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?'

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

The king of Israel is asking the prophet Elisha whether he should kill the enemy soldiers who have been captured.

📚 Historical Context

This occurs during a conflict between Israel and Syria (Aram). Syrian soldiers had been sent to capture Elisha because he was revealing their military plans to Israel's king through divine revelation. God had struck the Syrian army with blindness, and Elisha led them into Samaria where they were now at the mercy of Israel's king.

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2 Kings 13:14

Now Elisha had become sick with the illness that would kill him. When Joash, the king of Israel, came to visit him, he wept over Elisha's face and cried out, 'My father, my father! You are Israel's chariot and horsemen!'

2 Kings 2:12

When Elisha saw this happening, he cried out, 'My father, my father! You are Israel's chariot and its cavalry!' Then Elijah disappeared from his sight. Elisha grabbed his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.

2 Kings 3:13

Elisha said to the king of Israel, 'What do I have to do with you? Go to your father's prophets and your mother's prophets.' But the king of Israel said to him, 'No! The LORD has brought these three kings together to hand us over to Moab.'

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